Tile Flooring: 7 DIY Ideas You’ll Love

Tile flooring can add beauty and durability to any room in your home, but it can also be expensive if you don’t know where to look or what to buy. Luckily, tile flooring is also easy to DIY if you’re looking to save money on the cost of this gorgeous option, as long as you have the right tools and materials on hand. Try one of these seven DIY tile flooring ideas next time you’re ready to replace your floors.

1) Tile Goes Anywhere

Tile isn’t just for showers, kitchens, and entryways; it can be used for flooring in almost any room of your home. But there are some things to consider if you’re considering tile flooring throughout your house: Is a wood subfloor ready for tile? If not, how much will install a subfloor cost? Which tile is right for my area/use? Tiles come in many different sizes, shapes, and colors. It’s a good idea to check with your local building codes to make sure that you’re allowed to install each type where you want it.

2) Runners are Easy

Runners are commonly used on tile floors, as they require no additional installation. They can be moved and re-positioned, which makes them ideal for short-term projects such as staging a house to sell or while you wait for a new tile flooring to be installed. However, runners might not always be practical depending on your lifestyle. They tend to move with every step you take and could become damaged if placed in high-traffic areas where people tend to run into them or trip over them. If you choose runner tiles for a long-term project, make sure you plan accordingly so that your floor will match your vision throughout its lifetime.

3) Use Decorative Tiles

Adding a personal touch to your floor design is easy with decorative tiles. If you’ve got a favorite picture that’s dying to be seen, create a tile mosaic using small porcelain pieces. Your floor will become a walking piece of art—the kind that would cost thousands if you had it professionally made! Another great idea: Recycle broken china by creating your own version of vintage checkered floors. It’s unique and stylish, and more eco-friendly than other ideas (like sanding down an existing floor). With some hot glue and expertise from experts at home improvement websites, you can achieve these looks easily!

4) On Slabs

In bathrooms, kitchens, and hallways, tile flooring are often placed on top of a poured slab, which serves as an excellent base for tiling. Slabs provide an even surface that makes tile installation easy; they also provide much-needed insulation (which helps keep hard surfaces warm in winter and cool in summer). If you’re looking to install floor tiles on your own, you can visit your local home center or construction supply store for help choosing a thick enough slab. In small areas where tile is just one part of the design (like in a bathroom), look for thinner slabs that won’t add significant weight. For larger rooms with tile running along walls as well as floors, thicker slabs will hold up better over time.

5) Wood Underlayments

Installing wood underlayments is one of our favorite ways to achieve a beautiful tile flooring. This method achieves a durable, high-end floor by allowing you to use higher quality tile than what is normally used in stick-down versions of tile floors. Once you’ve picked out your slab of wood, cut it down into boards and apply a sealer or wax before installing it over your subfloor. Screws should be placed every 6 inches from corner to corner. While preparing your room for tiling, think about grouting—if you don’t want to leave grout residue on top of your boards, consider covering them with quarter-round molding instead.

6) Install Groutable Tile Over Linoleum

If you’re thinking about re-doing your tile floor, consider groutable tiles that are easy to install over linoleum. Many linoleum floors have a foam backing and can be replaced with similar foam-backed tile without much difficulty. These tiles tend to be more affordable than ceramic tiles and give you more design options with textures and colors. Groutable tiles will resist scratches better than linoleum as well. So they’re a great choice for entryways or high traffic areas where minor wear is expected. A bit of prep work is needed before installing new groutable tiles over an old linoleum floor. But it’s a worthwhile investment if you want to bring your home up to date with minimal effort.

7) Floating Tiles over Plywood Subflooring

The floating floor over a plywood subfloor is one of my favorite ways to lay tile. The wood beneath will swell and expand as it comes in contact with moisture. And no you don’t want that movement being transferred through your tile. Floating floors are popular for two reasons:

They’re easy to install. (Meaning, you can handle it yourself if you have basic DIY skills). And they’re less expensive than traditional tiling options (since there’s no need for underlayment).

Best of all, floating floors look so beautiful that few people will even notice you’re not using grout.

READ HERE TO KNOW HOW TO INSTALL TILES BY YOURSELF!